Messages

46

Equipment and Software / Re: Digital refractometer

« on: December 29, 2012, 08:26:17 AM »

I have the Hanna.
I like to use the refractometer during the brewing process because it's quicker (smaller samples, don't have to wait while the sample cools, etc.)
I've seen Sean's spreadsheet and it works.
I just use the hydrometer for the FG reading because I always have!
Besides, then I can drink the hydrometer sample!

I have this one http://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Instruments-Digital-Refractometer-Analysis/dp/B002NX0WHI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1356794437&sr=8-2&keywords=hanna+refractometer

Piece of cake to use during brew day to see how close I'm getting to OG. I used to use it a lot more than I do now though, I guess because my recipes and process have become pretty standardized over the last 2 years.   Probably overkill, there are better things to spend your $166 on... I still go with a trusted hydrometer during fermentation though

I use it more for maple sapping / syrup season.... it's a breeze to carry in the sugar bush and spot check the trees... and you gotta get your syrup to 66 Brix in the boil house... now that's a time of year coming on soon here in upstate NY!

-red

47

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: That German Lager flavor, round 2

« on: December 29, 2012, 07:47:08 AM »

Couple things from reading this summary:

#1. This (and the previous thread of same title) is probably the most valuable and informative thread I've seen on this board.   Thanks for everyone's input!

#2. IME I can nail any amber or darker German lager (at least in my own blind tests). Maibock, Dunkel, Schwarz...  I seem to have no trouble getting a beer I'm really really happy with.  It's the Pilsners (both German and Bohemian) that are hard to hit. Obviously this has a lot to do with my water: it's moderately hard, and I use it 100% for Schwarz, and dilute it 50/50 with distilled water to brew Maibocks and Dunkels. But I use 100% distilled and add in minerals to brew Pilsners. 

#3. +1 to the idea that extended lagering is very key... the closest matches I've had to Jever Pils and Pilsner Urquell (the two styles I've been trying to copy; brewed probably five 10-gal batches of  each over the last 2 years) tasted the best at 8+ weeks in the keg. But both of these were not in primary for more than 18-20 days.... I've never tried the lagering on yeast cake thing and not sure I want to try

#4. Decoction: Probably psychological but I like to do at least a mash-out decoction on all the German styles... makes me feel more authentic, and its fun.... I do Hochkurz on Bo Pils and am going to try a triple on my next Bo Pils just for the hell of it... and of course the beer tastes better; I put an extra 2+ hours of work into it!

#5. Happy New Year to all...

-red

48

Ingredients / Re: Multi-Step Infusion & Water Adjustments

« on: December 27, 2012, 07:08:36 AM »

You should add them all to the mash at the beginning. For the most part pH is a function of grist and the total amount of (pH active) minerals present. Hence the suggestion to add them all at the beginning.

Kai

But you still add the fraction of minerals for sparge water with the sparge water, correct?  At least, your spreadsheet breaks it down into "mash" and "sparge" amounts....

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year to all....  I'm brewing Jamil's Traditional Bock today.....

-red

49

Ingredients / Re: Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pilsner Malt?

« on: December 20, 2012, 07:32:19 PM »

Even with a triple decoction, they don't seem to recommend a protein rest with this malt:

http://www.weyermann.de/downloads/pdf/Voigt_Poster_Trends%20in%20Brewing%20Ghent%202010.pdf
An average Kolbach Index of 38.4% is given, which isn't undermodified enough to require a protein rest.

As a follow up, was looking at the mashing chapter in New Brewing Lager Beers and Noonan stated that anything over 37 does not require a protein rest. Thanks for the info, will make the day shorter.

Warming up an old thread: did you ever use that triple decoction schedule in the link higher up this thread, Jeff? And if so, what were the results? 

thanks
red

50

All Grain Brewing / possible Hochkurz decoction screw-up

« on: November 17, 2012, 08:59:45 AM »

I did a Hochkurz decoction the other day on a German Pilsner (a recipe I got from Pawtucket Patriot) and while reviewing my notes today I noticed that I forgot to hold the first decoction at ~150F for 10 min or so before bringing it to a boil....  I had the mash at 148F, then pulled the first decoction and ramped it right up to a boil.....  is this going to make a huge deal?

-red

51

Beer Recipes / Re: covert FWH to boil hops

« on: October 16, 2012, 05:11:15 AM »

I'd like to brew Denny's Waldo Lake Amber based on the recipe of NB's Kit (I won't buy the kit, but just follow their recipe.)  It is hopped as follows:

1.00oz Cascade @ FWH
0.75 Magnum @ 60min
1.00oz Centennial @ 0min

How would I convert the Cascade amount to boil hops?  My work schedule for the next few weeks won't allow me to have 6 hour un-interrrupted for brewing, but I've had good luck chilling my wort (after mashing)  in a walk-in cooler for up to 48 hours before starting the boil. But somehow I don't think that leaving FWH hops in for 48hours is going to work... or maybe it will?

Advice?
tx red

If you do what you propose, it will be a different beer.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Right, if I change FWH to boil hopping, it will be different. And if I leave FWH in the wort for 48 hrs, that will probably also be different.... but what about the theory of putting the FWH in when I'm heating the wort up to boil, and "steeping" them there for 20 minutes or so at around 140F, which is almost exactly what happens when you FWH right out of the mash cooler (my wort is usually 130-140F, and I have it boiling within 30 minutes....) It's just that the wort has been chilled for some time between, and then reheated thru mash temps to boiling.  Is there some enzymatic activity coming out of the mash that has been halted or slowed by the chilling of the wort that will effect the FWH?

-red

52

Beer Recipes / Re: covert FWH to boil hops

« on: October 15, 2012, 07:22:18 AM »

If you're bringing your wort to a boil from cooler temps, just add the FWH once you hit mash temp range (140ish). I do this with extract brews a lot and it works pretty well.

This is why I love this forum.... great solid suggestions that I hadn't though of... so as I bring the wort to a boil, toss in the FWH hops at 140, then they will have (at least on my system) about 10-15 minutes to steep before it hits the boil...  I could even slow down the heat input to give it 20+ mins of steeping as Don suggests...  I'm going to try this. 

-red

53

Beer Recipes / covert FWH to boil hops

« on: October 15, 2012, 05:22:13 AM »

I'd like to brew Denny's Waldo Lake Amber based on the recipe of NB's Kit (I won't buy the kit, but just follow their recipe.)  It is hopped as follows:

1.00oz Cascade @ FWH
0.75 Magnum @ 60min
1.00oz Centennial @ 0min

How would I convert the Cascade amount to boil hops?  My work schedule for the next few weeks won't allow me to have 6 hour un-interrrupted for brewing, but I've had good luck chilling my wort (after mashing)  in a walk-in cooler for up to 48 hours before starting the boil. But somehow I don't think that leaving FWH hops in for 48hours is going to work... or maybe it will?

Advice?
tx red

54

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: That German lager flavor

« on: September 13, 2012, 01:09:36 PM »

Just got back from two weeks in Germany (near Jena in Thüringen if anyone knows the area) and of course took the opportunity to "recalibrate" the palate.  Interestingly,  I found, while sampling a number of regional and national German Pilsners, some in bottles, some "vom Fass", (Köstritzer, Ur-Krostitzer, Wernesgrüner, König, Saalfelder, Jever, Radeberger, Bitburger are the ones I can remember)  that what I am chasing as a German Pils aroma over here in the US seems to be mostly muted or subdued in Germany, and in some cases it is non-existent (for example in Ur-Krostitzer which I had from the tap at a reputable place run by friends of my brother, that I know plows through the stuff, so I know it was quite fresh).

I've heard/read some comments along those lines but would be interested what others who have been to Germany recently think on this issue....  is it possible that some of what we are discussing here is just a bit of oxidation, perhaps some light- and heat-struck issues, etc, rather than an actual "good" component of a beer that we should be trying to emulate?

Just a thought...

-red

55

Kegging and Bottling / Re: how long does dry hopping last?

« on: August 24, 2012, 04:56:57 AM »

BTW: If IPA doesn't move fast with your buddies then  it may be time to get new buddies. OTOH I think I could move 10 gallons of IPA myself in 4-6 weeks.

Hey they are connoisseurs and critics of all the Pilsners, Helles, and Bocks I make, so I think I will keep them.... more IPA for me! 

56

Kegging and Bottling / how long does dry hopping last?

« on: August 22, 2012, 10:33:04 AM »

I have 2 cornies of NB's Two Hearted clone (didn't but their kits but used their recipe), and I added the dry hops in a tea ball when kegging after a 2 week primary. After 2 weeks in the keg it is great, but I'm wondering how long it will taste that way? IPA is not a huge mover with my buddies and it may be mostly me drinking this, which may take a month or 6 weeks.  What, if anything, will be different in 6 weeks about the hop flavors and aromas?

tx red

57

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: That German lager flavor

« on: August 10, 2012, 06:53:43 AM »

One thing I do have to say is that since adding a warmer-than-I-would-have-thought (~65-70F) maturation rest to my German beers, usually for only 48 hrs, I like the results... I think it does help to hit those final gravities and attenuate the beer out more fully.  I may have to try that for a week as Kai suggests...

red, unless you are already doing this, start doing the fast ferment test: http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fast_Ferment_Test . It's result will help you guide your fermentation. W/o it you'll be flying in the dark.

Kai

I do this on most but not all my lagers....   I skip it on the ones I've got really dialed in and don't even notice/care if they come out a couple points off (like Schwarzbier)

-red

58

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: That German lager flavor

« on: August 10, 2012, 05:47:33 AM »

A few month back I got pointed to a very good German TV documentary that highlighted how German beer had lost its way. For posterity, here is the link (http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/beitrag/video/1656374/ZDFzoom-Hopfen-und-Malz-verloren!#/beitrag/video/1656374/ZDFzoom-Hopfen-und-Malz-verloren) there are a few German speakers on this forum for which that might be useful.

Kai

Interesting film, just watched the first third of  it and will have to finish later...  and I think your other comments are unfortunately right on, in that there is no ONE thing to do to get that German beer experience except for us all to keep trying little tweaks to our various processes and sharing them here!  I've certainly gotten closer over the last 2 years and 8 or so batches of Pilsner plus at least that many other German styles (Helles, O-Fest, Schwarz, a variety of Bocks), thanks mainly to info and suggestions from you folks on this forum...

One thing I do have to say is that since adding a warmer-than-I-would-have-thought (~65-70F) maturation rest to my German beers, usually for only 48 hrs, I like the results... I think it does help to hit those final gravities and attenuate the beer out more fully.  I may have to try that for a week as Kai suggests...

-red

59

All Grain Brewing / Re: Fauxpils results and discussion

« on: August 02, 2012, 01:29:27 PM »

i can't wait to go through in more detail
thanks for letting me participate and evaluing my beers as well

don

yes. it was fun to participate and I am learning a lot by going thru the notes of the other tasters and trying the remember the 3 beers I had.  thanks for pulling it all together.

-red

60

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: target an exact FG

« on: August 01, 2012, 04:34:02 AM »

Thank guys for reassuring me... that's basically what I've been doing, targeting the final volume and gravity at 50-60F in the fermenter... but it's one of those things you suddenly start over-thinking and wondering if you're doing something wrong.

-red